Minutes of Honington Parish Meeting on 6th September 2023, held at Honington Grange at 7:00pm.
Present: Mrs D Parker (Chair), Ms M Parker (Clerk), Mr T Carter (Webmaster), Mrs N Carter, Mr R Coney, Mrs W Coney, Mr U Heindl, Mrs K Madden, Mr S Madden, Mr M Paske, Mrs K Holley.
Apologies: Mrs R Ambrose, Mr B Hope, Mrs S Hope, Mr G Watkin, Dr C Paske, Mrs J Gardiner, Mrs H Dyson.
Matters arising from last AGM:
- Minutes from previous AGM were circulated following the meeting as well as being posted on the parish meeting website.
- There were not matters arising.
Events and Activities (September 23 - March 24)
- Harvest Supper - Chair put forward the suggestion of hosting a harvest supper in the village but it was noted that this was something that we had missed for 2023 but is of interest and will be spoken about for 2024 - This will be discussed at the next parish meeting to see if it is still of interest for the village.
- Beer Festival - This was very briefly mentioned but is of interest to the village. We would host this in St Wilfrids Church in hopes of raising funds for the church.
- Christmas Carol Concert - As a village we have put in a bid to host the Christmas Eve Service but we are at present waiting to hear back on if we have been successful.
- Wreath Making - It has been agreed that wreath making is something that would be of interest to the village permitting the day's work with everyone. Debbie wil contact a few people to find the costs and availability of the classes.
Use of St Wilfrid's Church
- Tim confirmed that we are able to use St Wilfrid's for non church related activities such as the above. Both Tim and Michael have encouraged the use of the church as much as we can.
- The church is locked unless notice is given so any proposed use of the church would require some planning.
- The church would require a clean before use - around 2 hours due to the bats and the dampness of the church.
- The suggestion was made that the village form a fundraising committee to raise fund for the church keeping it open as long as we can.
Honington Little Library:
- This will be kept in a large plastic box in the church entryway.
- The library will be operated on an exchange basis - if you take a book you replace it with another.
- It was put forward that we include puzzles in the box which is something that seemed very popular and will be included on the same basis as the books - Take one, bring one.
- The start up the little library we are asking for donations so there are books ready for people to exchange - You are welcome to drop them at The Rowans or permitting we receive enough donations before hand wait until the box is in the church entry way.
Village Notice Board:
- It was agreed that the village notice board needed a revamp due to general wear and tear with it being exposed to the elements.
- We are going to look into incorporating the current notice board (the handmade ceramic tiles) on a new notice board that is more waterproof. Debbie will discuss with Graham if there are any more ceramic tiles to incorporate in the updated notice board.
- This is something we are hoping to raise funds for with the help of the fund raising committee.
Fundraising Committee:
- In order to raise funds and keep improving the village it has been decided that a fundraising committee.
- The fundraising committee events will be discussed at the parish meetings as much as possible but the funds raised will have nothing to do with the parish meeting.
- Everyone on the fundraising committee will equally help host or organise various events for the committee in order to make sure that it doesn’t all fall to the same few people.
- Suggested events are - Quiz nights and afternoon teas but we are open to any suggested events you think would be a success.
- The main benefactor of the funds raised will be St Wilfrids Church but funds will also go toward anything village based that the community deems necessary.
Litter Picking Equipment:
- We have been provided with litter picking equipment from LCC which we have accepted and Debbie will collect this week.
- It has been agreed that litter picking will take place in February/March time, I will send suggested dates out in January and the 2 most popular weekends will be selected - There will hopefully 1 weekend in February and 1 weekend in March to ideally suit those who wish to attend.
- They will be stored in the boiler room of St Wilfrid's - Again this is locked so if you are wanting to use them outside of the litter picking weekends please contact Michael Paske or Tim Carter.
D-Day 80 Celebrations:
- We have been invited to host a beacon to commemorate the 80th D-Day due to our participation in both jubilees and coronations.
- Wendy and Richard have kindly agreed to host the beacon up on Barkston Heath (the same venue as previous events). The given date is Thursday 6th June 2024.
- As with previous events transport to and from the village to the beacon will be provided and numbers will be collected closer to the time so we can plan accordingly, alternatively you are able to walk to the venue should you wish to.
- Food will be provided at a small cost. We will likely hosting a barbeque.
- Tim will accept our participation with his contact for the celebrations.
- Finer details will be discussed at the next village meeting in March.
Village Fast Fibre:
- We are yet to have an update on whether we are accepted for the fibre but an update is expected March 2024.
Village Maintenance:
- Street lights outside Manor Cottage have been reported and replaced by SKDC.
- Blocked drains on A607 have been cleared by LCC.
- Hedges have been trimmed on A153 by LCC.
Any Other Business:
- There was no other business to discuss.
The next Parish Meeting will be hosted in March 2024 with a confirmed date closer to the time.